Center for
Biological DiversityBECAUSE LIFE IS GOOD

Protecting endangered species and wild
places through
science, policy, education, and environmental law.

Tuesday, March 16, 2004

NEWS UPDATE: Arizona Game & Fish Commission upholds halt of
Sabino Canyon cougar kill until Friday, but hunt will likely then
resume. Legislature will question Game & Fish today at 4pm, and
may hold special public hearing in Tucson on Friday.

Unfortunately, the Commission, Arizona Game & Fish
Dept. (AGFD), and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) appear ready to resume
the puma hunt
later this week, and still are not willing to try non-lethal options.

In response, public-interest and conservation groups are calling
for an additional 14-day hunt moratorium, and a public meeting before
the moratorium is lifted with AGFD Director Shroufe and Coronado
National Forest Supervisor Derby to further explore non-lethal options.

AGFD and the Commission will face questioning on the issue by the
legislature today at 4pm. 22 Arizona lawmakers signed a letter Monday
strongly urging AGFD and USFS to suspend the cougar killing plan,
explore non-lethal options and hold a public forum in Tucson.

“We welcome AGFD’s wise decision to halt this unjustified
hunt,” said Daniel R. Patterson, Desert Ecologist with the
Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson. “But we are skeptical
that Game & Fish will to try other options besides killing. The
bottom line is the government still has not shown solid evidence
that these cougars are a threat to anyone, and they haven’t
tried other options such as trail restrictions, closures and hazing.

Government officials have failed to show that lions in Sabino Canyon
are likely to attack humans. A report released to CBD March 9 by
the Coronado National Forest showed only 2 of 15 (13%) reported lion
sightings on at Sabino Canyon confirmed since 2002, only 1 of 7 (14%)
reports was confirmed on nearby private lands during the same period.
This report does not confirm recent stalking of humans by lions,
as has been claimed by officials. AGFD has provided no documentation
to support its claims that cougars in Sabino Canyon are a threat
to people. Recent alleged sightings reported on TV news are unconfirmed,
and biologists know that most lion sighting reports are inaccurate.

“Even if these cougars are killed, more will move in to the
area. With this deadly approach, it’s likely future cougars
will also be killed,” says Patterson. “If the government
succeeds, Sabino Canyon will change from some of Tucson’s best
lion habitat to a lion killing zone. Sabino Canyon is a wild area,
not a city park or Disneyland, and it shouldn’t be managed
this way.”

Governor Janet Napolitano, Congressman Raul Grijalva, State Representative
Ted Downing and others have joined a huge public outcry against the
Sabino Canyon puma hunt. The Arizona Legislature may hold a special
hearing Friday in Tucson on the issue.

Environmentalists point out that if left alone, pumas pushed in
to area by the Aspen fire may soon move up the canyon and away from
people due to warmer weather. A legal settlement reached last week
showed AGFD and USFS killed cougars before without evidence or exploring
other options or causes of conflicts.

Relocation of mountain lions is not a viable option, and wildlife
managers have said if the lions are located they will be killed.

Sabino Canyon is a controversial fee-demo area, and the Coronodo
National Forest benefits financially from its maximum use by people.